The Super-Beast Battle of the Century Arrives December 4th Source: Echo Bridge Entertainment Special Thanks to Julie Haas On December 4, 2012, Toho`s GODZILLA VS BIOLLANTE (??? VS ?????, Gojira tai Biorante, 1989) will finally be available on Collector’s Edition Blu-ray and DVD editions in North America. The long-awaited title will be released by Echo Bridge Home Entertainment.
GODZILLA VS BIOLLANTE was the 17th entry in the Godzilla movie series. The story’s source was a script entered in an open contest held by Toho. The studio received more than 5000 submissions, with fan author Shinichiro Kobayashi’s entry chosen as the winner. To bring GODZILLA VS BIOLLANTE to the screen, producer Tomoyuki Tanaka and associate producer Shogo Tomiyama chose a mostly-new creative team headed by writer-director Kazuki Omori and FX director Koichi Kawakita. The two directors would become the main architects of the second wave of Godzilla films known as the `Heisei Series`. Kawakita would handle the special effects for the rest of the series and was largely responsible for Godzilla’s more-or-less consistent look in those movies, while Omori went on to write and direct GODZILLA VS KING GHIDORAH and write the screenplays for GODZILLA AND MOTHRA: THE BATTLE FOR EARTH (???VS???, Gojira tai Mosura, 1992) and GODZILLA VS DESTOROYAH (???VS??????, Gojira tai Desutoroia, 1995). Kazuki Omori used only the bare bones of Shinichiro Kobayashi’s story in crafting the script for GODZILLA VS BIOLLANTE. His final version is an effectively modern Godzilla story that focused on the concerns of genetic engineering. A scientist creates a massive, indestructible plant life-form called Biollante by combining rose and Godzilla cells. Biollante initially appears peaceful... until Godzilla returns to wreak havoc upon Japan. Opening to mixed reviews upon its theatrical release in Japan, the film is now highly regarded by Godzilla fans for its serious tone and high level of visual effects. North American rights to GODZILLA VS BIOLLANTE were licensed by Miramax in 1990. The company released the film on VHS and laserdisc in 1992, followed by pay cable television in 1993, but it has been out of circulation for several years. In 2011, Echo Bridge Entertainment signed a deal to distribute titles from the Miramax film library on home video. As part of this agreement, GODZILLA VS BIOLLANTE is being released on Blu-ray and DVD for the very first time. Street Date: December 4, 2012 Rating: PG Running Time: 104 Minutes Image: Full HD 1080p Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen (16x9) AUDIO 2.0 DTS Original Japanese Theatrical Audio Track 5.1 DTS Re-mastered Japanese Surround Sound 1.0 Dolby Digital English Language Audio Track SUBTITLES English Subtitles English Translation of Onscreen Text English SDH Subtitled to Match English Language Audio Track BONUS FEATURES Making of GODZILLA VS BIOLLANTE Behind the Design Format: Blu-ray Item #: 04561 UPC #: 0-96009-04561-6 SRP: $14.99 Format: DVD Item #: 75029 UPC #: 0-96009-75029-9 SRP: $6.99
About Echo Bridge Entertainment
Echo Bridge Entertainment is an independent distribution company that acquires and distributes motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment and video-on-demand content throughout the world. In April 2008, Echo Bridge Entertainment acquired Alliance Atlantis International Distribution from Goldman Sachs Capital Partners. The acquisition adds the distribution rights to over 5,500 hours of first run and catalog programming to the Echo Bridge Entertainment Library, creating one of the largest independent distributors of film and television programming worldwide, with a combined portfolio of over 11,000 titles. Echo Bridge Home Entertainment distributes directly to virtually all major U.S. and Canadian retailers.